I've used nothing but simple punches and hammer for all my years doing this.
They've never failed. You do have to be careful not to damage things but that's all part of the game.
Brass, copper, hard wood block, even a rawhide mallet work well. Steel punch on the very stubborn and it can be used w/o damaging the sight if done right.
The bbl,slide ect must be locked up solid w/no vibration. Can't be hanging out off the end of the vise and expect the hammer wacks to have much effect other than doubling back and damaging the part.
I did try a sight pusher once that was loaned to me along with a slide with the offending stuck sight. The pusher didn't budge it either. A solid hit from a punch moved it on it's way.
They do work I'm sure with a nicely fit dovetail and part, But not all are so.
Some of those dovetailed sights can be really stuck in there.
Looking from the back of the gun,,,right to left to install the sight. Left to right to remove. But never doubt that someone before you has done it their own way and used anything from lock-tite, solder, shims, iodine (to rust it in place), super glue, epoxy,,all sorts of stuff.
One trick I use as a sight pusher on a ramp front sight and I think it may only be screwed/soldered to the bbl and striking the dovetailed sight may loosen it. For this I use the bench vise itself.
It makes a great 'pusher'.
Use the smooth steel jaws in the vise,,which you should have in place anyway not those toothy pipe jaws.
You have to make one small mod to one of the vise jaws first.
Remove one or the other,makes no difference which and cut a relief cut in the top edge of the jaw big enough to accept any dovetailed sight that you might encounter with enough room to spare.
With the jaws in place and to remove a sight,hold the bbl w/ ramp upside down on the vise with that relief cut opposite the sight and the ramp up against the face of the jaw. Now close the vise slowly on the ramp sides.
The vise will push the sight from it's dovetail over into that relief in the jaw.
It won't remove it completely, but a simple push or light tap will take it the rest of the way.
No damage to anything. You can place a piece of paper around things if you want, but clean smooth surfaces can result in no damage.
Use the same set up to press the sight back into the dovetail. This time you can set it exactly where you want with the vise pressure,,no hammer & punch work needed.
